Step 1: Business Health Check-Up
You’ll get a practical summary of what’s working, what’s holding you back, and where the
biggest opportunities are.
This free check-up gives you direction before you invest time or money — so you know exactly what to focus on.
We start with a clear picture of how your business is performing — across leadership, systems, and operations.
Step 2: Choose the Right Path for You
Once you’re clear on where your business stands, there are three main ways to work with us — depending on your goals, time, and pace of change.
1.
Tailored personal training and advisory support for business owners, directors, or managers who want focused, private development for themselves or members of their team.
We work together to:
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Strengthen your leadership approach
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Improve your management structure
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Build understanding and confidence in decision-making and delegation
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Develop your ability to lead others and to drive empowerment, performance and ownership
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Keep progress moving through accountable, committed planning and execution
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Gain clarity on key issues, solutions and structured pathways to improvement
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Tailor approaches and guidance to your business and your needs
This is one-on-one, direct guidance and training — combining structured learning with real-time advice.
One-on-One Leadership & Management Development
2.
Leadership and Modern Management Training Courses
Structured, practical courses that teach the fundamentals of modern leadership and management.
We focus on building real capability — the skills and habits that lift performance and engagement, including:
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Leading people effectively
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Setting goals and accountability
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Managing performance
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Communicating clearly and consistently
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Building a strong culture
Delivered in-person, these courses are designed for busy owners and managers who want to lead better and manage smarter.
3.
Leadership & Modern Management Workshops
Interactive, results-focused workshops that tackle specific leadership and management topics.
Popular workshop themes include:
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Leading vs Managing: What Really Drives Results
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Building Accountability in Your Team
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Managing Difficult Conversations
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Time, Priorities, and Delegation
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Creating a High-Performance Culture
Workshops can be delivered in-house for your team or as part of a public session with other business leaders.
They’re practical, fast-moving, and designed to spark real change. They can also be tailored and built specifically for your needs and circumstances.
Step 3: Guided Implementation
Whatever path you choose, we work alongside you to turn insight into action.
We’ll help you implement the systems, habits, and leadership practices that create real, lasting improvement — not just short-term ideas.
No theory. No fluff. Just practical support that gets results.
Why It Works
The Real Problem Most Business Owners Face
You know your profession, trade or craft inside out.
You built your business through hard work, reputation, and sheer persistence.
But as it’s grown, things have changed.
Now you’re managing people, systems, and customers all at once — and half the time it feels like you’re just putting out fires.
Sound familiar?
That’s not failure. That’s just what happens when a business grows faster than its structure,
you hit an economic wall or the owner/s get too bogged down in the daily grind. Or all three.
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Your team means well, but they rely too much on you.
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And sometimes it feels they are
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woking against you!
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Processes are inconsistent.
Margins feel tight, cashflow's a worry. You’re busy — but not always productive.You're burnt out.
Sound familiar?
That’s not failure. That’s just what happens when a business grows faster than its structure, you hit an economic wall or the owner/s get too bogged down in the daily grind. Or all three.
The Shift That Changes Everything
That means learning how to manage, delegate, prioritise, and hold people accountable
— not just how to deliver the work.
It also means, leaning how to let go. And developing the environment and discipline to
support that.
It’s the shift from running around to running things properly.
We help you make that shift.
Strata trains, guide and advise business owners to think and operate like modern leaders — with clarity, structure, and purpose.
At a certain point, working harder doesn’t work.
To move forward, you need to lead differently.
We build stronger leaders and better-run businesses.
We don’t do fluff, motivational hype, or theory.
We give you the tools and thinking that real leaders use to grow, lead and manage well — in away that fits your business and your personality.
We do it through targeted training, one-on-one development, and practical workshops that turn leadership theory into daily discipline.
Our focus is simple: helping you and your team lead better, manage smarter, and operate with confidence.
No corporate buzzwords. No endless theory. Just straight-talking, real-world management capability built for Kiwi businesses.
The result?
A business that performs better, runs smoother, and doesn’t rely on you for every answer.
Improved Results
With clarity, capability, and structure in place, you’ll see better margins, higher productivity,
and a business that finally feels under control.
4
Better Systems and Structure
We help you simplify how the business runs, so things work consistently even when you’re
not there.
3
Clarity and Focus
We help you get clear on where your business is heading and what matters most.
You’ll know what to prioritise and what to let go of.
1
Stronger Leadership
You’ll learn how to manage your team, hold people accountable, and lift performance —
without burning yourself out.
2
What Changes When You Work With Us
How Strata Helps You Build Capability
A practical, structured process — delivered in the way that suits you best.
That means learning how to manage, delegate, prioritise, and hold people accountable
— not just how to deliver the work.
It also means, leaning how to let go. And developing the environment and discipline to
support that.
It’s the shift from running around to running things properly.
We help you make that shift.
Strata trains, guide and advise business owners to think and operate like modern leaders — with clarity, structure, and purpose.
Because it’s grounded in real business experience.
At Strata, we’ve owned and operated businesses ourselves — some that failed, and more that succeeded.
For me personally, this isn’t theory — it’s lived experience.
I’ve built, run, and advised businesses across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and for the last 25 years, right here in New Zealand.
I still own and manage several businesses today, which keeps me grounded in the same realities our clients face.
That means when we talk about leadership, management, and performance, it comes from real-world experience — not corporate consulting.
That mix of hands-on experience and broad perspective is what makes Strata different.
We get it — because we’ve been there too.
Who We Work With
We work with owner-led businesses across New Zealand, typically between $1–10 million turnover, in sectors like:
Our workshops also cater for a wider audience across corporate sectors, government and non for profit.
If you’ve got people, customers, and pressure — we can help you build structure, capability, and confidence.
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Construction & Trades
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Retail & Wholesale
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Manufacturing
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Hospitality & Tourism
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Professional Services
What We Work On
Our work spans every part of business performance and leadership development, including:
Every engagement is tailored — but the goal is always the same:
a better-run, more capable business that doesn’t depend on you for everything.
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Strategy & Planning
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Leadership & Management Training
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Systems & Operations
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Performance & Accountability
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Sales & Marketing Direction
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Team Culture & Engagement
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Execution Support
Built on experience. Focused on results.
we help you build the systems, skills, and habits to keep doing it long after we’ve gone.
Founded by Adrian de la Fuente, Strata has been helping New Zealand businesses grow stronger for over 25 years.
Adrian brings over 35 years of practical business experience, spanning leadership, operations, marketing, and management.
He’s known for his straight talk, practical guidance, and ability to simplify the complex.
Strata isn’t just about advice — it’s about capability.
We don’t just tell you what to do;
"Lead better. Manage smarter.
Build a business that runs well — and gives you the freedom to lead it properly".
Get a clear picture of how your business is really performing.
The Business Health Check-Up is a simple, free diagnostic that shows you exactly where your business stands — and what to focus on next to grow with confidence.
You’ll get:
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A clear summary of your strengths and gaps
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Direction on the areas holding you back
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Practical next steps for improvement
No obligation. No sales pitch.
Just clarity, insight, and a practical plan of action.
Let’s talk about your business.
We work with business owners and managers across New Zealand.
Get in touch to book your free Health Check-Up, discuss training, or ask a question.
Send Us a Message
Phone:
What our clients say.
We’ve worked with hundreds of NZ business owners — helping them lead better, build structure, and grow stronger teams.
- David Howard / CEO Construction Contracts Ltd (CCL)
"Working with Strata has been beneficial for us to identify where we can improve, set goals and develop core values that everyone in the company are encouraged to embrace and work on. These remind us of what our priorities are and why we are in business. We have used Adrian’s leadership training services throughout the company as a way to up skill our people and equip them with the tools they need to progress within the organisation and we have really seen the benefit of doing that.
Sometimes we can’t see the wood for the trees because we are so busy just keeping things going. Having Adrian come in with his wide experience and business expertise is a great way to gain an independent assessment of your business, your ability and management style and to identify key areas where you can up skill, add value and make improvements. Give it a go, try it and see if its works for you.
Adrian is an excellent business mentor and advisor. He has the ability to listen carefully, identify the key issues, then channel your emotions in the right direction and get you back on track."
- Colleen Upton / GM Hutt Gass and Plumbing
"Our biggest hesitation in using Adrian’s service was that we just didn’t know what we didn’t know – how would this work, would it make a difference, would the cost be justified – although we had been in business for a number of years we had never used anyone like Adrian before. Through Adrian we discovered that we didn’t understand our business anywhere near as much as we thought we did. There were gaps in our knowledge that were holding us back from being the business we wanted to be. Adrian’s service was the key to us unlocking our potential and without wanting to sound like a TV advert – Adrian empowered us!
After consulting with Adrian we made massive, and I mean massive changes to the way we did business, and it a relatively quick time too! We went from looking at shutting our doors to turning into an Award winning business that is profitable and employs 26 people. We began a raft of changes that included a different way of selling, implementing simple marketing techniques, systemsing the business, pulling a whole lot of different levers that we hadn’t properly considered, changing our uniform and our branding to name just a few. It’s not exaggerating to say using Adrian’s service changed the way we do business dramatically.
The process to get there was hard and required some serious reflection. The changes, and end outcomes were really enjoyable though. Adrian has a way of making you get to the heart of the matter, no bullshit. Adrian is a straight shooter, there is no where to hide when you use his service. He will hold you to account for what you said you would do – and I think this was a big reason for our success. If you aren’t sleeping at night because you are worried about cashflows, customers, marketing, the future – then if you combine Adrian’s service and some hard work you will feel in control of your business and sleep will come easy!
When we were looking for someone to assist us I asked for someone blunt, hard hitting who would not go easy on us – Adrian delivered 200% on that."
- Gavin / Owner New Zealand Health & Safety
"Thanks to Strata we have a clear focus on systems and processes and have confidence in expanding our business using the right tools. With Adrian's support we now have another member of our team keeping an eye on what we are doing which gives confidence to decision making. I found that old habits die hard. Even with regular coaching I sometimes reverted to the old ways of doing things. Adrian took me back to what we had agreed was the right track. Have the discussion. You will be surprised with the results."